Holy Karkidakam – Ramayana to Echo from Haindava Homes

The month of â€˜karkidakamâ€™ glimpsed with auspicious chanting of Lord Ramaâ€™s name and the great epic â€˜Ramayanaâ€™.

â€˜Ramayanaâ€™ will be recited at every home and temples during this month in such a way that the whole epic up to Lord Ramaâ€™s return to Ayodhya will be finished by the month end. Thus this month is also called as â€˜Ramayana monthâ€™.

Many Hindu organisations and monasteries conduct Ramayana reciting days throughout the month. Thus the coming month will bring a sense of unity among Hindus and teach them the importance of â€˜Dharmaâ€™ through Lord Ramaâ€™s life.

Rama was born in Ayodhya as the eldest son of King Dasharadha. Lord Rama, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu is often referred as â€˜ Maryada Purushottamaâ€™ for his adherence to â€˜dharmaâ€™ as a son, as a husband and later as a king of â€˜Bharathâ€™.

In Kerala during this month family members gather together at dusk in front of lit â€˜nilavilakkuâ€™, traditional lamp used by Hindus, to recite the epic written by Acharya Thunjathezuthachan. Thunjathu acharyan has written â€˜Ramayanaâ€™ in a simple poetic form with a rhythm so that every one can recite it easily and understand the meaning. The verses are presented as a discussion between two birds and thus it is also known as Kilipattu Ramayana (Ramayana sung by a bird).

The month â€˜Karkidakamâ€™, July 16th to August 15th this year, is often a troublesome month with heavy rain and other related natural calamities. Reciting â€˜Ramayanaâ€™ and listening to Lord Ramaâ€™s history has instigated confidence, sense of unity and courage on people for ages to face the atrocities of â€˜panjha maasamâ€™ (Month of Scarcity) and look forward for a brighter tomorrow. The month â€˜karkidakaâ€™ is the last month on Malayalam calendar and the New Year starts with â€˜Chingamâ€™ month which is an auspicious month for Hindus in Kerala.

Ramaâ€™s courage in searching for Sita and fighting a terrible war to rescue his wife from Ravana shows his absolute devotion to restore â€˜Dharmaâ€™ and his duty as a loving husband. Lord Rama is revered for his unending compassion courage and devotion to religious values and duty.

Ramayana reiterates the need of upholding â€˜Sanathana Dharmaâ€™ in day to day life to face the unethical and barbarian thoughts persists in our society .As long as an ideology which propagates the misconception that â€˜religion is a sin and a source of delusion to man kindâ€™ prevails strongly in a society it has become each and everyoneâ€™s responsibility to spread the message of â€˜dharmaâ€™ inspired from Lord Ramaâ€™s life with his blessings.

Valmiki himself starts the epic with a strong message â€˜Ma Nishadaâ€™ against atrocities and butchering of â€˜dharmaâ€™. Glorious Hindu renaissance started by Adi Shankara and later followed by Hindu gurus thought out India seems to lose the momentum in recent times under the evil clutches of modern â€˜Ravanasâ€™ who comes in different attire as abusers of â€˜Sanathana Dharmaâ€™ and what not even as abusers of Lord Rama.

This great epic â€˜Ramayanaâ€™ and many sacred places of worship related to this epic scattered all around India and Srilanka plays a key role in our pride as devotee of Lord Rama and binds the Hindus together all over the world. By reciting Ramayana throughout this month let us all pray for Lord Ramaâ€™s blessing for wisdom, sense of unity, courage and righteousness in life.